fellow away. For this Jim was most thankful. Afterward, he rejoiced
still more that he had restrained himself; and he knew Belle would flush
with pride at this victory over self, this proof of a growing
self-control.

Another week went by and again came word that Belle could not return for
perhaps ten days at the earliest. A dozen broils that Jim had been
postponing for Belle to arbitrate had now to be considered. Dr. Mary
Mudd was the leader of an indignant party of women to complain that
though the men were not more in numbers than the women they had
appropriated sixty out of the one hundred coat hangers.

Rippe, the tailor, was there to complain that Dr. Mary Mudd always
walked up the middle of the stairs, unlawfully delaying the traffic,
instead of keeping the proper right side. With his outstretched arms, he
illustrated the formidable nature of the barrier. Dr. Mudd retorted that
said Rippe had repeatedly smoked in the ladies' room, etc., etc. But
these were small matters easily adjusted. Two, much more serious, came
on him in one day.

First, he yielded to the temptation of having a beautiful banner hung on
the wall, because it was contributed and very decorative. It bore a
legend, "No popery." This was much in line with his private views, but
it made a great stir and cost them a score of members, as well as
incurring the dislike of Father O'Hara, hitherto friendly. His second
blunder was to allow the cook in the restaurant to put scraps of pork in
the soup, thereby raising a veritable storm among the many keen debaters
of the kosher kind, and causing the resignation of Skystein from the
board--temporarily at least.

It would have been much to Jim's taste to have an open war with Father
O'Hara and his flock. His Ulster blood was ready for just such a row.
And in his heart he believed pork and beans quite the best of foods. But
his opinions were not law; he had been learning many things. Others had
rights; and he won the disaffected back, one by one, by recognizing the
justice of their claims and by making kindly personal calls on each of
them.

Thus Jim Hartigan got a new knowledge of his own endowment and
discovered unsuspected powers. He had held his peace and triumphed in a
number of trying situations that two or three years before would have
ended in an unprofitable brawl. He had controlled his temper, that was a
step forward and he was learning to control those about him as well as
manage an organizati